The New York Yankees are not exactly a team that has been considered to be on the cutting edge of innovation. While they have had a great deal of success over the years, that has primarily been due to their extensive bank account and ability to bring in needed free agents.
But that may change. The Yankees are looking to create something different – the utility pitcher. They even have someone in mind with Jonathan Loaisiga.
New York Yankees looking to create a new role
In theory, this is not anything particularly new. Pitchers have taken on numerous roles over the course of the year as situations dictate. Sometimes, a pitcher will outperform expectations, moving into higher leverage roles. Or, conversely, those arms struggle, being relegated to mop up duty in blowouts.
But this appears to be something different. The Yankees seem to be looking at Loaisiga as more of their option at any given time. Instead of being a pure fireman, coming in to get key outs in difficult situations, he would be a possibility anywhere.
This could be the perfect role for Loaisiga. He seemed to finally find his footing at the major league level last year while pitching in a similar way. Over his 12 outings, Loaisiga had three starts, finished two other games, and had four relief appearances of at least two innings. He produced a respectable 3.52 ERA and a 1.217 WHiP over his 23 innings, striking out 22 batters with seven walks.
For years, the Yankees had struggled to find a role for Loaisiga. He had been a starter throughout his minor league career, but they did not have any room in the rotation at the major league level. Meanwhile, he had struggled as a reliever, unable to find his way in the bullpen. It was clear that if the Yankees were to find a way for Loaisiga to be successful, they would need to find a new role for him.
To their credit, the New York Yankees are doing just that. Jonathan Loaisiga may end up becoming a new type of reliever – the utility pitcher.